There is nothing in this world that is simultaneously as exhilarating and exhausting as filling out a resume. I mean, how do you boil yourself down to just one page of traits? Isn’t there more to a human being than simply what special skills they have? Well, if you are area woman and current job searcher Mary Kim, there actually isn’t much more to her. Over the course of her life, Mary has made sure that every pursuit she has begun, every extracurricular activity she has undertaken, and every job she has been employed at has directly added to her resume, one way or the other.
Now, in a moment of confidence, she is adding the first thing to her resume she learned on her own: knowing the difference between there, their, and they’re. Not everyone would call this a special skill, but Mary isn’t everyone and that’s what she is hoping to show with this addition. I mean, anyone can say they are proficient in Excel, but how do you actually prove that? This was a special skill she could demonstrate in an actual interview.
For years, people have harped on millennials for things far less serious than this, so why not give employers a taste of their own medicine? They’re just going to make her retype it for every job application that she fills out anyway. What’s the point?
Do you know how many emails I have received from people in C-level positions who can’t even bother to let spellcheck work for them? I have no idea how they even do it and keep their job. If I misspell one thing I feel like I need to start combing the job market. Meanwhile, CEOs are able to tweet, email, and Slack with no regard for spelling or the more basic laws of grammar.
It’s time to either take it seriously or throw it straight out the window. Language is in constant motion, after all. Why not just go with the flow? As long as you get the message across, why should it matter? Why waste time say lot word when few work do trick? Oh god, maybe Kevin was right.
Sorry, what were we talking about? Oh right, Ms. Kim. Well, she should be fine regardless of which grammar rules she intends to highlight on her resume. I mean, she did go to Harvard.
This article was written by Nathan Ellwood, who doesn’t even know if going to Harvard even matters anymore. Follow him @NPEllwood.